Just Two Words
by cheela07
Summary: They say love is blind, that it abides by no law. They loved each other, even if they were almost step-siblings. They saw nothing wrong in that. My entry for the Beyond The Pale Contest. AH, OOC, Rated M.


**Beyond the Pale Contest**

**Title: Just Two Words**

**Pen Name: **

**Characters: Edward/Bella**

**Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight – I own this plot.**

**Image that Inspired You: Image 5 ( the locket)**

**To see other entries in the Beyond the Pale Contest, please visit the C2 page:**

**.net/community/Beyond_the_Pale_Contest_Entries/83159/**

**Rated M. This contains dark content, in a way. Those offended by it, don't read it. **

* * *

**_Present day:_**

_Two words._

That two small words could bring a man to his knees was something Edward Masen had not anticipated.

That two words could destroy one so completely was something he was completely unaware of.

That two seemingly small words were actually so significant was something he hadn't known.

The locket- still wide open, it's contents half falling out- still dangled from his little pinkie finger.

_Her_ locket.

The despair resurfaced, but this time it enveloped him, granting him a small reprieve from his reality; from the constant grief surrounding the demise of his blossoming love.

His knees giving way to the cold, hard floor below, Edward Masen let out a heart-wrenching cry, a lone tear escaping the confines of his glassy eyes. It was soon followed by one more, and then another, until all that was left of the once cocky, arrogant boy was only a frail sheath of bones and flesh.

* * *

Edward Masen and Isabella Swan had always been unconventional. They had loved, fought and lived in a manner that was utterly different than that of others. They had always wanted to make a mark- not on the world, but on each other. They didn't care about the rest, as long as they had the other. The world was a huge scary place, they _knew _that. They also knew that it was much less scary when it was faced together, rather than alone. Which was why Edward and Isabella never let go of each other. Even when they knew it was better for them to stay apart, that their union would cause more harm than happiness. No, they never let go of each other, for better or for worse. And in hindsight, it was definitely for the worse.

The first time they met was when her father and his mother revealed the big news to them. Sprung it upon them was more like it.

"Bella, this is important to me, okay? She's important to me. So, just, try to accept her, alright? I mean, I know you're having trouble understanding all this, but really, this is.. this is different. So, no unacceptable behavior, okay? I mean it, Isabella. Be nice." Charlie Swan insisted to his bitter 15 year old daughter. He _knew_ it was tough for her to cope with the divorce, and the drama surrounding it. He _knew_ it was impossible to expect her to be understanding about the upheaval all around. He knew all that, but _damn it_, he just wanted so badly for her to be mature about this.

"Oh, you know what Dad? Why don't you just go ahead and tell me she's pregnant with your child already? It's not like I don't know about it. The whole shitty town knows. Today at school, I had to face Jessica Stanley and her crappy crew of bitches while she spewed shit about Mom! You don't even know how much shit I have to face at school for this. All because you couldn't keep your fucking di-"

"Isabella!" screamed the older man, baffled by his daughter's brash language. He had been aware that she cursed, because frankly, at that age who didn't? But the extent of her vulgar profanities was something that he hadn't witnessed ever before.

"You will control your language. You will not speak like that ever again, to anyone- least of all to me. I am your father, damn it! I will not be spoken to in that manner, is that clear to you?" the older Swan bellowed, his angry tone reverberating around the tiny kitchen.

"Sorry" the teenager replied stiffly, her arms crossed; face high up in the air and her chin jutting out stubbornly. Her whole posture screamed of defiance.

"Are you ready? I don't want to keep them waiting" Charlie remarked after a brief pause. Without waiting for a reply he strode towards the front door, muttering under his breath all the while.

Isabella followed his figure until he disappeared outside, tiny tears flowing down the planes of her face. She swiped at them angrily, gathering her coat and locking the door behind her as she shut it.

Exactly five minutes later, the Swans were off to meet the Masens – a certain Ms. Elizabeth Masen, and her son Edward Masen - Isabella Swan's soon-to-be somewhat step-brother.

In a small house, nestled well in the city of Port Angeles, Elizabeth Masen strutted around restlessly, pacing about in a frenzied manner.

Her son Edward watched on from the top of the stairs. He knew that the impending visit of the Swan girl was freaking her out, and he was determined to do what he could to soothe her nerves.

"Mom, chill. You'll tear a hole in the carpet" he remarked, fully aware he was using the wrong phrase. Just as he knew –

"It's 'wear a hole in the carpet', honey. Not 'tear' "

- that his mother would correct him. If there was one thing his mother could not stand, it was wrong usage of phrases.

Elizabeth glanced up, noticing her son making his way down the stairs. He was a replica of her, sharing her apple-green eyes, her auburn hair. His sharp features were the only reminder of his biological father – she cringed even as she thought the name – and she was thankful for that.

It was one thing to get over the incident, but completely another to stare it at the face every single day. She was grateful that she was at least bestowed with that one favor. For she knew that she wouldn't have been able to get past it if she saw it reflected on her beloved son's face. It would have been too painful.

"Smartass. You knew I would correct you" she remarked, reaching out to smooth over a wayward strand of his hair.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" replied the son, his eyes crinkling as he smiled his charming grin.

_My beautiful boy. How he could ever be even remotely related to that monster is beyond me, _thought Elizabeth, her heart swelling with love for her dear son.

Caught in the moment, the mother-son duo failed to hear the crunch of gravel as the Swans' car pulled into the driveway. The knock on the door startled both of them, and Elizabeth frantically pulled at her hair and skirt, maintaining a steady chant of "they're here" under her breath.

The boy laughed at his mother's panicky expression, and hoping to assuage her tension a bit, volunteered to greet the Swans. Desperate to have a few seconds to herself to calm down her beating-a-mile-a-second heart, she gave in to the offer immediately, settling down on the plush white couch – a gift from her parents. She was just scrutinizing the frayed thread at the edge, when she heard the distinct sound of feet shuffling towards her.

"Hey. Um, you alright? You look a bit pale" Charlie said, his hand reaching out to feel her clammy forehead.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just nervous, I guess. Where is she?" Elizabeth enquired; just as the younger Swan make her way in. Right away, Elizabeth knew she had her work cut out for her. Isabella was dressed in a pair of light blue pyjamas, a hooded sweatshirt, and a pair of beat-up sneakers. She looked like she had rolled right out of bed, if her attire was any indication of it.

To add the cherry to the cake, her attention was sufficiently consumed by the pair of earphones that looked screwed tight to her ears. Elizabeth could hear the loud bass of the music from her perch on the couch.

_God help me, she thought to herself. _

Charlie, on the other hand, just yanked the offending iPod from where it was tucked into her hoodie's front pocket and fumbled with it, trying to shut the damn thing off. Having led a very simple and technology-free life, he had no idea of the workings of an iPod. His frustration was reaching harmful levels, when Edward snatched it out of his hands, handling it expertly. Once he turned it off, he handed it over to Charlie, who tugged at the device until the earphones slid out of Isabella's ears and into his own hands. And all this while Isabella watched on patiently, albeit amusingly.

Sending a withering glare towards her, Charlie introduced her to the Masens –

"Isabella, this is Elizabeth, my..ah… girlfriend. And this is her son Edward. Say hello".

Both mother and son waved their hellos when it became apparent that Isabella wasn't going to offer her hand for a shake, or even meet their eyes.

"You can call me Lizzie, Isabella" Elizabeth rushed on warmly. Her quivering voice betrayed her, though.

"Do not call me Eddie" the son added in, fixing a pointed glare on her. The rough, deep voice called to her, and Isabella looked up for the first time since she got into the car.

As chocolate eyes met apple ones, the whole atmosphere changed, cracking with a nervous energy.

"Call me Bella" she replied, her eyes still locked in a trance with his.

The adults, convinced that the hardest part was now over, left the room to share a private moment or two – masking it as an offer to grant the children some bonding time.

Of course, if they could have glimpsed into the future, they probably wouldn't have been so generous.

* * *

"What are you _doing_?" he asked her, as she sat with an obscene amount of make-up scattered on the bed.

Startled, she dropped the tube of lip gloss she had been inspecting, and it rolled away to a corner of the room.

"Edward! Stop sneaking up on me like that!" screeched the girl, trying to find the tube of gloss. She finally located it, and having screwed it shut, threw it onto the mess on the bed.

"No, seriously Bella. What is all this shit? Wait a minute… Is that shiny stuff some eye shadow thingy? God, Bella!" he exclaimed, his fingers wiping some of the shiny stuff on her top. Why girls would ever volunteer to have such shit painted on their face was beyond him.

"Okay, Edward. What do you want? I'm busy."

"Yeah, you're busy alright. Busy playing with Barbies" he commented, snickering.

"Anyway, a bunch of us are gonna see a movie. You wanna come?" he continued, seeing the offended look on her face morph into one of shock.

"You don't mind if I do? I mean, they are your mighty friends, right?"

"Just drop it, alright? Mom and Dad wanna have a night to themselves or some shit. That's the only reason why I'm inviting you. And anyway, your friends are coming too. The tiny chick and the fat one. They forget to inform you?" he smirked, his eyes shining with mirth.

"No, they didn't tell me. They must've forgotten. Gimme a few minutes, alright? I just need to change" she said to his retreating form.

Slightly hurt by his indifference, she let out a disappointed sigh, wondering for the millionth time why he was so hot and cold.

She looked around her room, making a mental note to clean it on her return. _Her_ room.

The Swans And the Masens had officially moved in together in a family. Since neither of their houses was big enough to accommodate all of them, both Charlie and Elizabeth had sold their houses and instead bought a beautiful white one, on the outskirts of Port Angeles. Moving out had been a great shock to Bella. She had never thought that Charlie would actually invest so much of himself into a relationship, and that was when she realized the Masens were here to stay. Over time, she had gradually accepted Lizzie's place in her life.

Of course, she still felt weird calling Lizzie 'Mom', while making goo-goo eyes at Edward. Because that was the truth. She had a huge crush on her somewhat step-brother. She often justified it to herself by stating that since her Dad and Lizzie weren't actually married, it was perfectly fine to be attracted to Edward. And there was no rush to get over it, as Charlie and Lizzie had both decided against marriage. Neither of them believed in the institution of it, and were happy enough with the current status of their relationship, which worked out just fine for Bella. Edward however had taken to calling Charlie 'Dad'- something that Charlie didn't altogether mind. All in all, Edward seemed perfectly content with everything, while Bella failed to do so.

The only good parts of her life - or so she thought- were her best friends: Alice Brandon, and Rosalie Hale. Alice was a petite Catholic, while Rosalie was the exact opposite of her, with her .. ah.. overweight body and brash attitude. While Alice would sugarcoat everything, Rosalie was blunt- sometimes to the point of being particularly rude. But, even with all the differences between them, the three of them remained close friends, staying over at each other's places often and helping out whenever necessary. So it really struck Bella odd that they hadn't invited her to the movie. After all, they always did everything together.

"_I hope that'll never change" _she thought, walking over to her dresser and removing a pair of jeans that stuck to her like second skin, and a long-sleeved top. Slipping out of her hoodie and sweatpants, she walked into the adjoining bathroom to wash her face, walking back into her room once she was done.

So lost was she in her musings that she didn't even hear Edward's footsteps thundering up the stairs. She was wearing her bra, and clad only in a flimsy pair of lavender panties, when the bedroom door opened with a light creak, and Edward barged in –

"Bella, you ready - " he stopped mid-sentence, his mouth forming a perfect 'o', his eyes glued onto her half-nude form.

For a minute, it seemed like everything around them had stilled. All Edward could see was Bella; her disheveled hair, the milky expanse of her skin, her lips, her eyes.

Her chocolate irises that stared back at him, her thin eyebrows drawn together, and her forehead puckered in a small frown.

At that moment, he wanted to ravish her. He wanted to worship her until they were both capable of no more, he wanted her all to himself. He wanted her to be his.

_He wanted her so badly. _

It was this thought that propelled him forward. As he neared her, he could sense the air around almost humming with energy, and his fingers ached to touch her – to feel her.

So he did. He lifted a quivering finger and stroked her cheekbone, the pad of it brushing the sharp bone delicately, as if a heavier touch would break it.

Overwhelmed by the sensations in the pit of her stomach, Bella let out a tiny gasp, her breath hitching in her throat.

That one tiny emitted sound shook Edward from his stupor, and he stepped back as though her skin had burned him. He took another step backward, and another, until he was outright rushing to the door.

"Shit, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry" he managed to say, and then he ran. He ran from her.

A few hours later, after the movie was over - Rosalie had picked her up, apologizing briefly for forgetting to inform her of the plans - she went in search of Edward, who had avoided her all night. _Big surprise there. _

She had seen him on the phone just a few minutes back, and had assumed he was talking to Lizzie. Walking around the parking lot, she spotted a couple making out almost savagely on the hood of a car. As she passed by, she noticed it was Edward's car. Miffed that the strangers were defiling his car, she strode over, fully prepared to give them a piece of her mind.

What she wasn't prepared for, however, was the mop of unruly auburn hair, and that of a glorious golden mane, tangled together. And as Rosalie finally resurfaced for air, she spotted Bella standing there, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, her hands lying limp at her sides. She pushed away from the car and started towards her friend –

"Bella, hey. Um, We were just.. God, I'm sorry! I just - "

"Just save it, Rosalie. Fucking save that shit for someone who'll believe it" she retorted, feeling her chest ache as Edward emerged from behind Rosalie, tucking his shirt back into place, his eyes cold and apathetic.

As she stared into his eyes, all she could think was that they no longer looked like green apples. Now, they seemed like hard-cut emeralds. Jaded, steady, unforgiving emeralds.

She watched as he lifted a steady finger and stroked Rosalie's chubby cheek, skimming lightly over her lips. Much like he had done to her a few hours back. All this while he just stared at her, looking through her. She felt naked under his gaze, as though he could see past her pretences and her lies. Bare.

She watched as he wrapped an arm around her friend's waist and squeezed tightly, leading her away from there.

And as they walked by, she felt that ache in her chest intensify, until it was too heavy. A single tear made its way down her cheek, and onto her lips-the salty taste of it jolting her back to reality.

Back to the ache.

That was the first time Edward Masen broke Isabella Swan's heart. Too bad it wasn't the last.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, everyone felt Isabella grow distant; they all felt her pull away. Charlie worried about her, Lizzie fretted about her. Rosalie apologized a number of times, which was unusual for her, and Bella just smiled and said that it was all fine. That she was wrong too, that she had overreacted and that they should forget that _it_ had ever happened. Alice tried to bring Bella out of her funk by feeding her an obscene amount of chocolate, but Bella refused after the first few times, citing lack of sleep as the only cause of her weird mood.

Edward noticed too. He saw her smile a lot – all of them fake smiles that she put on for show. He saw her laugh delicately – fake again, because he knew that her laugh was anything but delicate; it was loud, obnoxious. He saw her study a lot more, while before she had always had a specific time for studying.

Most of all though, he noticed how she was indifferent towards him. She didn't ignore him, at least not outright. She was never rude to him, she never commented on him. She was just _passive_. Smiling at him when occasion called for it, speaking to him when need be. But not once did she _talk_ to him. She didn't make any sarcastic quip, she didn't bother him at all. She was so different from before.

And he _hated _it. But he hated himself more. If he'd only been able to think with his brain, and not his libido, _that_ night would never have happened. He wouldn't have stared at her half-clothed body like a creep, he wouldn't have touched her so intimately and blurred the lines. No, he _should have_ gotten the hell out of her room, and he _should have_ turned Rosalie away when she followed him out to the parking lot.

All 'wouldas', 'shouldas'. All useless now.

A delicate laugh caught his attention, and he turned his head to watch Bella stumble out of the Gym with Emmett McCarthy. He was clutching her around the waist, almost lifting her off the ground. For the first time in weeks Edward saw Bella's eyes crinkle with a smile – a real smile. He didn't know what to feel – relief, that she was finally coming around, or anger, at the brawny boy touching her so intimately.

He settled for a variation of the two and approached the two of them, fully intending to beat the shit out of the boy. Out of nowhere, Alice stood in front of him, extending a tiny arm and pushing lightly on his chest.

"Brandon, what the -"

"Stop doing this to her. Just let her be" she insisted, her eyes fierce with determination.

"You have to know how she feels about you. And it's not fair of you to play with her like that - leading her on and then betraying her. How many times will you break her Edward? Honestly? I don't even know what she's going through. She never speaks to us anymore. Not like before. So if you want to jerk her around again, think again. I might not be huge and scary, but I do have methods to stop you. Just remember that" she continued, her lips set in a firm line.

"I don't know, okay? She's supposed to be my sister; it's so disgusting that I think of her as more than that. It's fucking incest, alright? So what am I supposed to do? Kiss her and tell our parents to go fuck themselves? This shit is serious Alice. I can't do that to my Mom. She loves Charlie, but she'll do anything for me. And of she ever knows that _this_ is what is going on, she'll leave Charlie, just so I'll get what I want. That's what she always does. I can't do this to her. If it means that I have to be an asshole to Bella, then that's what I'll do".

"Then make up your mind! Don't get angry or jealous when you see her moving on. You either let her go, or you do right by her. Okay? Don't break her, Edward. I'm warning you".

"But what can I do -"

"That's for you to decide. It's your life, not mine. But I suggest you do it soon. She won't wait around forever….I'll see you later".

Edward watched as Bella hugged the other boy and then started walking towards Alice's truck.

He rushed home, wanting to tell her everything, before it was too late.

* * *

"Yes, Edward?" asked Isabella, still surprised by Edward's actions.

The past few weeks had been difficult, to say the least. She was tired of lying and pretending that it was all fine, that she was alright. Because she wasn't okay. She was still devastated.

Somewhere along the line, Edward had become so much more than a silly crush. It was almost as if fate hated her. Once she knew that he was unattainable, her feelings for him had just grown in intensity. She couldn't call it love, but she was sure it was where she was heading. She thought she had done a good job of hiding them, but apparently it wasn't so. As soon as she had entered the house he had grabbed her hand and led her towards his room, insisting she sit on the bed.

And that was exactly where she was, a whole 15 minutes later.

"I'm sorry. About that day. I shouldn't have kissed Rosalie, I shouldn't have ignored you. I was just so confused, you know? I'm sorry" he said, tugging at his hair.

"You don't know anything about us - me and Mom. Charlie knows, but they decided not to tell you, not just yet. But you need to know that, it's not fair to you if you don't" he continued, not letting her get a word in.

"My biological father was …. bad. He treated my mother like shit when they were dating, and when he almost hit her once, she broke up with him. He was pissed, so he kept following her around, threatening her.

"This one night, she was walking back from her college's library. And he was following her. She didn't know that, so when he attacked her, she didn't even know who he was. He….. He raped her. This family living down the street heard her scream, and they came over to rescue her, but he ran away. The, uh, damage was done. She had to drop out of school, to take care of me. She worked a few jobs to support us. She did it all alone.

"Then one day he came back, and confessed to it. He started crying and shit when he saw me – I was 3 years old – and next thing I knew the police was there. They arrested him, and a few years back, Mom got a call from the prison where he was housed. He died. From some illness. That's when we moved to Port Angeles. To start a new life, leave all the shit behind. And now here we are." He concluded. His eyes were still haunted, remembering past things, no doubt.

Without even realizing it Bella was in his arms, embracing him tightly. It was all he needed, and a bit more.

Desperate to get this last part out, he whispered lightly in her ear –

"That night, when I saw you, all I could think about was how beautiful you were – you looked so radiant. I wanted you so badly Bella. And I would've taken you. I was so….desperate for you. And then I realized I was no better than my …father… I wasn't giving you a choice. I was crowding you, demanding while you remained there unmoving and still. It's the most desolate I've ever felt. I never want to feel like that ever again. So I need you to promise me that this is what you want. Okay? Just think about it. Hen come and tell me"

They embraced for a beat longer, and then he let go of her, urging her to think about everything.

They both knew things were about to change.

* * *

It had been a long couple of days. Bella hadn't had a chance to speak to Edward alone. They were both always surrounded by others, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Bella to not snap at them.

Finally, on Saturday, 4 days after the big confession, Bella made her way to Edward's room at a quarter past midnight. She entered without knocking, and found him sprawled out on the bed, his shirt riding up.

"Hey" he greeted her, making room for her beside him. She sat down gingerly, and ran her fingers through his hair, feeling at liberty to do so. Bracing herself, she said shat she's known the very minute he'd told her all about his past -

"I've thought about it. And it doesn't bother me. Your past does _not _bother me. It won't keep me away from you, okay? I… I think I love you."

He just stared at her, processing everything.

Then, he grasped her hand, brought it up it his lips and placed a reverent kiss on it.

"You're sure?" he asked her, wanting to reaffirm her acceptance.

She just smiled and repeated herself, feeling light.

The two moved at the same moment, clashing together, a tangle of arms and lips.

* * *

As Edward and Isabella began to love, Charlie and Elizabeth began their descent from it. They had started fighting a lot more, and often ended up ignoring the issue rather than addressing it.

It started off from small things – unpaid bills, delayed appointments. Until they started turning on each other for petty things. 'Why did you buy this?', 'Why didn't you buy that?', 'Grow up Charlie! Stop watching the game and help me out here!' .

Small arguments turned into full on fights, until one day it all became too much for both of them.

"We're leaving Lizzie. It's just… too much now. I love you. I do, and I don't want to sabotage that with something else. I don't want to turn you into Renee. I could never bear it if you hated me. Are you getting what I'm trying to say?" he asked her, seeking her approval desperately.

"I get it. I do, Charlie. I don't want you to hate me either. And I guess this is what's best for us, huh? I don't want us to resent each other, hate each other. I would rather remember loving you" she said, with a slight smile.

Their decision made, they each went about informing their respective children, hoping against all odds that they would understand.

It had been nearly a whole year since their beginning that it all came to an end for Edward and Isabella. A year of secrets kept from parents, a year of new love blooming.

When they received the news of the separation, they were both naturally livid. They felt like the world had cheated them, that Fate was against them.

They rebelled, fought, but neither could stop what was happening.

They contemplated running away together, but came to their senses before that idea was even firmly planted in their heads.

A week later, the Swans moved out. Back to Forks.

Isabella and Edward had fought Destiny for as long as they could, but they could outrun it no longer.

* * *

_**Present Day:**_

Edward trudged back to Isabella's former room as the car disappeared out of view.

He made his way to her dresser, and saw something dangling off the knob.

A heart-shaped locket awaited him. He opened it, letting out a shuddering breath on reading the little note tucked inside -

"the end".

Just those two words finished everything, and the 17 year old boy broke apart.

Just two words...

* * *

Hello, everyone. :)

So, for those of you reading 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy', it is getting updated in 2 days. Promise.

For those who read the Fictionista Workshop Prompts, I have had to withdraw from it due to certain circumstances. However, I will be concluding that story shortly.

Lastly, please go read the other entries in the Beyond The Pale Contest.

And VOTE! Vote for me, or any other story of your liking.

Okay, one last thing. Review, please. I'm hungry for them. :) Tell me if you thought this was too much. Agree, disagree, do whatever. Just comment.

Go VOTE!

-Cheela


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